Why are people so standoffish at Showjumping? Minor rant

blimey im confused!! figjam thinks im friendly???!!! she must be mad
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!!! seriously though its nice to have people to chat away to and i think it makes you more relaxed! i think the problem is that in BS people come from a smaller geograpical area than BE so probably already know people and stck to there own little groups! im always up for making shiny new friends though
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and my mum often acosts random people and makes them her friend!
 
Showjumping is like school.

You have the 'cool' people. Do not attempt to talk to them, you will be snubbed. They are the ones all on the Sunshine Tour atm.

You have to find Glee Club. So we aren't as cool as the others, but we do know how to string a sentence together, can communicate without the use of grunts and moody stares but will still draw the line at breaking out into spontaneous singing.
 
LOL, I went SJ today and not only did the girl with the big shiny lorry next to me speak to me, she even went as far as to check I wasn't about to be kicked in the head as I had to do everything on the lorry as they had parked us with about 3cm between each vehicle and she was worried I wasn't safe.

The reason I don't speak to people is because I have a terrible head for faces/names, so often think 'oh they look familiar' but have no idea who they are. Luckily I have a suitably memorable/unusual name that people tend to remember me and talk to me instead.

I'm not sure you can legitimately complain that HHOers don't talk to you then post about being at the same show, because surely by the same token you have not gone and spoken to them. It's a bit like when my mum complains I haven't phoned her and I point out phones work both ways and she owns one as well and is perfectly capable of calling me....
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Haha, and you type like a muppet full stop
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Agree CS
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You have to move to the dark siude of BE though, they are so much friendlier
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U sound like a ranting Muppet. So they don'y want to talk to u get over it.

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OMG you are taking this post seriously????
 
dannihh I'll bite - you have made a total of 5 posts not bitching about Surrey equestrian and only one of those (premier equine rug) wasn't whingeing.

Perhaps you could contribute something useful? Otherwise one might get the impression you are a tad bitter!
 
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I'm not sure you can legitimately complain that HHOers don't talk to you then post about being at the same show, because surely by the same token you have not gone and spoken to them.

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Actually it was nothing to do with recent posts - to set the record straight I borrowed BroadfordQueen's dad to hold my horse on saturday and did say hello! And I haven't quite worked out who WorMy is.

Haven't managed to ID Tamera Bay, otherwise would have cornered Golden Match too!

Edited to say- SC where were you today?
 
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I'm not sure you can legitimately complain that HHOers don't talk to you then post about being at the same show, because surely by the same token you have not gone and spoken to them.

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Actually it was nothing to do with recent posts - to set the record straight I borrowed BroadfordQueen's dad to hold my horse on saturday and did say hello! And I haven't quite worked out who WorMy is.

Haven't managed to ID Tamera Bay, otherwise would have cornered Golden Match too!

Edited to say- SC where were you today?

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I was joking
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I was at a nice chatty venue....
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Were you there too?! How funny would that be!
 
I definitely find SJ less friendly than other disciplines - and I've been a showjumper for 10 years up until a few months ago!! Only been doing BS for the last 4 years but I think that gave me enough of an idea about the people. There are some who are really freindly - quite often bratty girls have really nice parents who I will chat to, and then the next show I go to the bratty girl will recognise me and start chatting to me after completely blanking me the first time!!

Had one lovely experience at Chester last year - was walking round the track from the stables to the arenas and a girl passed me (never know, could have been someone from on here?) going the other way, and as I always do to everyone, I said 'morning' to her, and the poor girl stopped, beamed at me and said, 'oh my god, this is the first big show I've been to and nobody's said a word to me and you're the first person to even SMILE, let alone speak to me!!'. She then had me in stitches as she continued on to say 'oh, god, you didn't think I was someone else did you!?'. I assured her that I didn't, and that I just tend to smile and say hello to most people - we are, after all, all there for a common purpose and with a common interest!! So it's their problem if they don't want to say hi back!

There is a huge 'clique' element to BS in my experience (although there are always exceptions) - interestingly, when I went through a phase of doing well on my horse I did notice an increase in the people that would smile or speak to me, although (and excuse my cynicism) I did get the distinct impression that it was a case of 'keep your friends close...' - reason being that they were less interested when I wasn't doing so well on my new horse.

In comparison, I have been out supporting a friend at BE on numerous occasions and we always get chatting with the neighbours in the lorry park, usually end up having a picnic with them on the rare occasion it's not peeing it down, and DON'T get glared at if you ask to borrow (well, ok, have, because you won't be giving it back) some water!!

As much as I hate to agree with the OP, I do think BS is less friendly than other things - although I will shortly be having my first foray into the world of BD so could be proven wrong.

Sorry all the SJ'ers out there, I've tried very hard to fit in and I LOVE the sport itself which is why I will no doubt go back to it some time, and I don't want to make mass generalisations but after 4 years and countless venues up and down the country my impressions seem to be true all over. Such a shame...
 
I haven't done BS but I find PC and BE all sociable even if you don't know anyone. The BD I've been do when it has been combined with unaff dressage is another matter tbh, everyone looks down at you in the warm up and seems to think you have the telepathy to be able to know they were going to do a 5m loop so why were you trying to go left to left
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I didn't say hello that time we were both at summerhouse because I was very nervous!!
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Lol.


I don't know really, people tend to be a lot more chatty at BE, or pony club things. It's weird, whenever I go BS, I guess I don't really chat to anyone I don't know. Well, I do, it depends on the time and place, and what I'm doing. If I'm in the warm up for a up to height 1m10, then I won't be a chatterbox - even to my mum!

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Izzy came and said hello to me at PC sjing after telling each other we were going so..
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its lovely meeting new people...
 
Oh No has anyone seen me at a show ?!?!?!? please come and say hi as i dont know what anyone looks like as i cant see pictures at work but im sure you all know what my horse looks like ! !!!
 
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I'd say hi, but the only time I've seen Gadget in the flesh was at the Blue Chips and you weren't there!!
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Well ill be there this year so make sure you come over !! x
 
i dont find that atall
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when i go BS i always chat to people when im walking the course, waiting by the arena to go in, and to people standing in warm up who put up fences for me etc if my mum is galavanting off somewhere
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i even plan my JO routes with other competitors by the arena! we chat about pros and cons of possible tight turns etc!

i always find people at BS very nice, and always there to help you if you need it
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and i always say hello to HHOers...unless im not too sure if it IS them
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sometimes im not sure...haha! xxx
 
People definately think i'm strange, i talk to anyone and even introduced myself as Samuel Whiskers to someone at Collingham Ploughing Match who i THOUGHT was a HHO .....and they weren't...oops, got that just a tad wrong and trotted off ***blushing*** to myself ....lol!
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Having lived in both the north (well east mids) and south, i do think by far the North is the friendliest!!
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I am always happy for people to say hello to me if they know me from here, I am easy to spot, red hair, tall, usually looking grumpy...I am not, it is just that my face has started to sag
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Yes but you never come out to play at the weekend any more (some lame excuse about wanting to see your family!) and I haven't seen you for agggggeeesss
 
CSJ the badges came up recently on a thread that admin did about hho merchandise...... I think they said they might be included..
 
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People definately think i'm strange, i talk to anyone and even introduced myself as Samuel Whiskers to someone at Collingham Ploughing Match who i THOUGHT was a HHO .....and they weren't...oops, got that just a tad wrong and trotted off ***blushing*** to myself ....lol!
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Having lived in both the north (well east mids) and south, i do think by far the North is the friendliest!!
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I agree North is friendlier, haven't been to the South but I've heard about it
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Luckily i don't have to actively identify HHOers as having such a distinctive pony means people always notice me and say hello
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Always grateful for someone to speak to and always have something to say!!!

Totally agree that BS is not as friendly, it's why i love eventing. People say hello, and you recognise people from other events and say hello. Can't remember the last time i did an event and didn't speak to person next to me! Generally get dirty looks out show jumping so i tend to keep to myself these days!
 
I don't have many problems at BS in the north, the majority of people are friendly, and I always generally make a friend for the day. The people who don't talk are normally too blinged up to see past their diamantes anyway, so I wouldn't take it personally
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I think the only one I might recognise up here is Gamebird, as I go to some of the same venues - but I have no doubt she would ignore me, mainly because I am such a scruffer, even though I try hard not to be!
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TBH I think the least friendly people at BS shows can be the eventers, but thats maybe because they're blinded by the brights lights of the indoor and colourful fences for a change
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Although I have heard that theft at BS is bad in the south, which is something I've never experienced at BS in the north, so maybe some venues are just worse than others?
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People definately think i'm strange, i talk to anyone and even introduced myself as Samuel Whiskers to someone at Collingham Ploughing Match who i THOUGHT was a HHO .....and they weren't...oops, got that just a tad wrong and trotted off ***blushing*** to myself ....lol!
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Having lived in both the north (well east mids) and south, i do think by far the North is the friendliest!!
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haha lol! that must of been embarassing
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lol!!! and i agree...northerners are much friendlier than south
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xxx
 
The one time I went BSJA in Cambs I found everyone very miserable and grumpy looking.... There was even a HHO'er there...!
Jeez!
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